Slide-fastener cut-apart means controlled by work sensing means



April 1968 J. b. LANGWELL 3,376,772

SLIDE-FASTENER GUT-APART MEANS CONTROLLED BY WORK SENSING MEANS Filed Aug. 31, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

JO/f/V .0. MA/GWELL,

April 9, 1968 J. D. LANGWELL SLIDE-FASTENER CUT-APART MEANS CONTROLLED BY WORK SENSING MEANS 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed Aug. 31, 1966 INVENTOR.

\JOHA/O-M/VGWELL,

5 Sheets-Sheet .5

INVENTOR. JOHN 0.4/7N6Wc24,

April 9, 1968 J. D. LANGWELL SLIDE-FASTENER CUTmAPART MEANS CONTROLLED BY WORK SENSING MEANS Filed Aug. 31, 1966 United States Patent 3,376,772 SLIDE-FASTENER CUT-APART MEANS CON- TROLLED BY WORK SENSING MEANS John D. Langwell, Freeport, N.Y., assiguor to Waldes Kohinoor, Inc, Long Island City, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Aug. 31, 1966, Ser. No. 576,310 Claims. (Cl. 83-154) This invention relates to improvements in strip material cut-apart means, and more particularly to an improved automatic machine for cutting off a succession of individual slide fastener or zipper lengths of chain from a long continuous strip of slide fastener chain as the latter is positively fed through the machine.

As is well known, it has become standard practice in the production of slide fasteners, also commonly referred to as zippers, on the scale necessary to satisfy the demands of the garment, and more especially the mens trouser trade, to make up the fastener or zipper chain components thereof in the form of an initially continuous strip of slide fastener chain consisting of two fabric tapes of indeterminate length which are fastened together along adjacent, usually beaded, edges by rows of oppositely disposed, interengaged fastener elements clamped or molded to said edges and thereupon, assuming proper gapping of said continuous chain, to cut off a succession of zipper lengths from the advancing end of said continuous chain as the latter is fed through a so-called cutapart machine, along transverse lines of severance disposed substantially midway of the length of the gaps. Usually, the chain gaps (actually short lengths of the tapes devoid of fastener elements) are provided by running the continuous strip of chain having fastener elements affixed to the tapes at a uniformly spaced pitch distance apart throughout the entire length thereof through a punch which removes a small number of the fastener elements at regularly spaced intervals along the length of the tapes, the spacing between and the length of the gaps being determined by the length of the individual slide fasteners or zippers being produced, but of course said gaps may be otherwise provided. So-called cutapart machines designed to cut a succession of the individual slide fasteners or zipper lengths of chain from long strips of continuous, gapped slide fastener chain are known commercially and further are disclosed in prior patents such as Nedal No. 2,170,609 and Proud No. 2,754,908, and also in my recently issued Patent No. 3,263,542, dated Aug. 2, 1966.

Stated broadly, a major object of the present invention is the provision of an automatic machine for cutting off predetermined Zipper lengths of slide fastener chain with accurate-length tape extensions from a long continuous strip of suitably gapped fastener chain, which is more positive and dependable in its action and/or of simpler construction than the prior cut-apart machines serving similar function.

More particularly, an object of the invention is the provision of a cut-apart machine as aforesaid, in which both the operation and timing of the cutting blade are controlled by simple yet positive mechanical means not likely to get out of operation or to become fouled in use, as is true of controls depending on electrical switches, for example.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of an effective, practical and dependable mechanical control means for a machine for cutting off a succession of predetermined zipper lengths of chain from a long continuous strip of gapped slide fastener chain and more especially for controlling the operation of the cutting punch or blade of such machine responsive to pull forces applied to a gap-sensing finger forming a component of said means by the chain during the course of its being fed through the machine.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a machine of the character stated which, when once placed in operation, continues to operate in fully automatic manner to cut off a succession of measured zipper lengths of chain for as long as the supply of continuous chain is maintained. 7

The above and other objects and features of advantage of an automatic cut-apart machine according to the invention will be set forth or appear from the following detailed description and accompanying illustrative drawings of a physical embodiment thereof, in which- FIG. 1 is a front elevation of an automatic cut-apart machine for cutting oft zipper lengths of slide-fastener chain from a long strip of continuous slide-fastener chain, according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a broken-away view looking down onto the combined chain feed and press control unit of the machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an irregular, longitudinal section, one a larger scale than that of FIG. 1, taken through the aforesaid combined chain feed and press control unit and which further illustrates the general relationship of the latter with the cut-apart unit carried by the press ram;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the cut-apart unit as seen from the chain feed-in side thereof;

FIG. 5 is a detail view illustrating the action of the control-arm lifting lever included in said cut-apart unit on the control arm of the press control unit; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary elevation looking onto the cutapart zipper discharge end of the machine.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a cut-apart machine according to the invention is shown to comprise a standard make, electrically-driven, punch press modified as may be necessary to suit the aims and purposes of the invention; a cut-apart unit including a transversely disposed cut-off blade carried by the reciprocating ram of the press; and cooperatively related thereto a combined fastoner-chain feed and press control unit mounted on the bed of the press and serving the plural functions of feeding a strip of continuous, suitably gapped slide fastener chain of indeterminate length in a straight-line path which is at a right angle to and intersects that of the reciprocating cutting blade of the cut-apart unit, and of effecting intermittent actuation of said press timed to the feed of the fastener-chain strip as provides that said cutting blade, in partaking of each of its Working strokes, will cutoff the most advanced zipper length of chain along a transverse line of cut extending across and substantially midway of the tape length-portions defining the gap between said most advanced zipper length and the following majorlength portion of the chain.

More particularly, the aforesaid press generally designated P (FIG. 1) comprises side-frame members 10, 12 and a forwardly offset bed 14 which is adapted to be bolted to a work bench or table. As is conventional, the upper ends of the side-frame members mount a main drive shaft 16 which is adapted to be intermittently driven via a normally deenergized, one revolution clutch 18.by an electric motor 20 through a belt and pulley drive generally designated 22. The portion of the drive shaft which extends between the side frames is formed as an eccentric 24, and suitably connected thereto in manner as to convert its eccentric motion to reciprocating motion is a ram 26 guided in slideways provided in the facing sides of said frame members.

According to the invention, the conventional cutting or stamping tool supplied with the press is removed and a cut-apart unit generally designated CA is substituted therefor. As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, -said unit cornprises a tool holder 28 having a block-like body of rectangular configuration as viewed in plan, which seats against the lower face of the ram 26 and is removably affixed to the latter as by a shank 2811 having a knock-out fit in a downwardly opening socket conventionally provided in the ram body for tool reception.

As viewed from its front, said tool holder is shaped as an L turned 90 in clockwise direction from its normal position, so that its normal vertical leg extends horizontally and its normal horizontal leg extends vertically. Such L-shaped configuration provides the holder with a frontto-rear vertical surface against which the upper thickened shank end of a cut-apart blade 30 may be laid flush and secured as by attaching bolts 32, and it further provides a downwardly disposed horizontal surface against which the top edge of said shank may engage, the latter with the result that little or no shear forces are imparted to the blade attaching bolts.

On its fastener chain feed-in side and closely adjacent the said cut-apart blade 30, the tool holder 28 further mounts a so-called pressure pad 34 whose lower edge normally extends a small distance below that of the cutting edge of said blade whereby it leads said cutting edge in the latters downward motion. However, being backed by a spring 36 extending upwardly into the tool holder shank, said pressure pad may yield when its lower working edge engages a fixed surface such as that of an anvil mounted to cooperate with the cut-apart blade, as will be described.

On the fastener chain feedout side of the cut-apart blade 30, the tool holder in its vertical leg portion further mounts a spring-loaded pressure pin 38 having an enlarged working head which projects downwardly a substantial distance below the cutting edge of said cut-apart blade but which is also adapted to yield against the bias of its loading spring 38a interposed between the under face of said vertical leg portion and said working head.

Finally, the tool holder 28 mounts a generally vertically disposed control-arm lift lever 40 whose lower end, which depends downwardly a substantial distance from the horizontal leg of said holder, is formed with a forwardly offset hook-like nose 40a. More particularly, and as best seen in FIG. 4, said lift lever is pivotally connected at its upper end as by a pivot pin 42 to the holder whereby it may swing in front-to-rear direction, and preferably its upper portion operates during such motion in a rearwardly opening, vertical guide slot 44 provided in said tool holder body. A coil spring 46 having one end connected to a stud 48 depending from the under face of the tool holder and at its other end to an intermediate point of said lift lever normally biases said lever to its normal forward-most position in which its front side edge is adjacent the bottom of said guide slot 44. However, the lift lever 40 may swing rearwardly from its aforesaid normal position when its forwardly offset nose 40a, acting as a cam follower, is cammed rearwardly, as will be explained.

Next considering the combined fastener chain feed and press control unit herein generally designated FC, such illustratively comprises an elongate body member 50 of upright channel section which is preferably provided with longitudinally extendin base flanges 50a, by which it may be bolted to the forwardly offset bed 14 of the press P, in position thereon such that its longitudinal center line is traversed by the vertical plane of reciprocation of the cut-apart blade 30, and further such that its ends are disposed symmetrically to the sides of said plane of reciprocation. Illustratively, the open top of the body member 50 is closed by end top plates designated 52, 54 and an intermediate anvil plate 56, which latter is disposed directly below the tool holder portion which mounts the cut-apart blade 30 and the pressure pad 34 as aforesaid, all as best seen in FIG. 3.

By reference to FIG. 2, said top plate 54 is preferably I 4 U-shaped, with the space between its side legs, which latter extend along and are affixed to the top edges of the spaced sides of said body member 50, providing for the accommodation of a longitudinally extending pressure plate 54a whose mounting and functioning will be described hereinafter.

Cooperatively associated with and seating flush against the end top plate 52 which is disposed to the fastener chain feed-in side of said cut-apart blade is a short-length friction plate or pad 58 and extending intermediate same and approximately to the anvil plate 56 is a chain guide and roller backing plate 60. The friction plate 58 is nonrigidly attached to the top plate 52, being normally biased downwardly against the upper surface thereof as by springs 62a mounted on corner bolts 62 which hold said friction plate in place, and it is provided with an upwardly extended ball handle 64 whereby it may be manually raised a limited distance from the top plate 52, for example when it is desired to initially thread the starting end of a long strip of fastener chain into the machine. The chain guide and roller backing plate 60, on the other hand, is rigidly secured fiush against the upper surface of the top plate 52. However, rather than having flush engagement throughout their entire under-face areas with the upper surface of the top plate 52, the under surfaces of both the friction and backing plates are provided with chain-element receiving grooves 66a, 66b disposed in longitudinal alignment, said grooves thus defining with the portion of the upper surface of the top plate 52 which they overlie an elongate enclosed chain guideway leading to the cut-apart blade 30. Alternately, the grooves defin ing the guideway may be sunk wholly or partly into the upper surface of the top plate 52.

Positive feed motion is imparted to a continuous fastener chain interposed between the top plate 52 and said friction and backing plates 58, 60', respectively, by the action thereon of a powered transport roller 68 which normally projects through a cut-out in the anvil-plate end of the top plate 52 into the chain guideway portion 66b provided in the backing plate 60. More particularly, and as best seen in FIG. 3, said transport roller 68, whose peripheral surface is centrally grooved to accommodate the usually metal fastener elements of the chain being fed along the guideway and is suitably knurled to both sides of the groove so that it will effectively grip the fabric tape components of said chain, is keyed or otherwise drivingly afiixed to a continuously driven stub shaft 70 which is journaled for rotation in the free end of a depressible mounting arm 72 which extends centrallylengthwise of the channel of the body member 50. The other end of the roller-mounting arm 72 is pivotally connected to a cross-shaft 74 extending between and journaled for rotation in the spaced sides of said body memher and thus said arm may swing in a vertical plane. A spring 76 held in compression between the bottom of the channeled body member and the under side of the arm 72 normally biases said arm to its uppermost position in which the peripheral surface of the transport pulley 68 extends into the guideway portion 66b aforesaid and bears against the under surface of the tape components of a fastener chain disposed in said guideway, thus to feed the fastener chain to the action of the cut-apart blade 30. If desired or considered necessary, the downwardly facing bottom-wall portion of the guideway portion 66b against which the roller tends to press may be formed complementally arcuate to the roller periphery, thereby increasing the arcuate area of contact of said roller with the chain tape's.

According to the invention, the actuation of the ram 26 is timed so that the cut-apart blade 30 will lower against the anvil plate 56 only when the feed motion of the chain has been arrested and the then most advanced gappedlength portion of the fastener chain, i.e. the gapped-length portion extending between the most advanced individual zipper-length group of interengaged fastener elements thereof and the following usually major-length portion of the chain, is disposed on said anvil plate and in position to be severed by said blade along a transverse line disposed midway of the length of said most advanced gapped-length portion. Such of course requires a precise control and interrelation of press actuation and chainfeed arresting or stop means, which will now be described.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, there is provided an elongated control arm 80 which extends longitudinally along and generally above the guideway 66a, 66b and has length such that it extends from a point adjacent the chain feed-in end of said body member 50 to a point generally beneath the tool holder 28 but short of the path of reciprocation of the cut-apart blade 30. At its inner or blade-adjacent end, said control arm carries a depending, preferably plane-form gap-sensing finger 82 which, in all positions of the control arm, overhangs the relatively inner edge of the transport-roller backing plate 60 and is further positioned transversely with respect to the feed path of the chain that it is disposed directly above the interengaged fastener elements of the groups thereof, whereby it normally rides on said elements.

Said control arm 80 is mounted for both limited vertical swinging motion about a transverse axis extending through its outer or chain feed-in end and for limited bodily translating motion generally in its own plane and hence toward and away from the cut-apart blade 30. More particularly, the outer end of the control arm, which is formed as a hub having a rearwardly disposed extension portion 80a, is pivotally connected by means of a pivot pin '84 received in said hub and its extension, to one arm, i.e. the vertical arm 86a, of a right-angularly armed bellcrank lever 86 disposed to the rear of the body member 59. Said bellcrank lever is adapted to rock about the axis of a fixed fulcrum pin '88 extending transversely across said body member and its other or horizontal arm 86b which is adapted to move throughout vertically ascending and descending arcs when said lever is rocked, is connected by a cable 90 to the aforesaid normally disengaged clutch 18 in the driving connection between the motor 20 and the drive shaft 16 of the press.

By virtue of the pivotal connection between the outer end of the control arm 80 and the bellcrank lever 86, the inner end of said control arm may be raised and lowered a limited amount. Thus, if we assume a normal operatingpositio'n of the control arm 80 in which it is both retracted consequent to the cable 90 being under the bias of a tension spring (not. shown) interposed in its connection with the clutch 18 and which tends to rock the bellcrank 86 in clockwise direction, and in which it is also in an intermediate raised position determined by the gap-sensing finger '82 riding on the interengaged fastener elements of a zipper-length group thereof moving along the chain guideway, the aforesaid pivotal connection of control arm to bellcrank permits said control arm to lower when said finger moves into the next following gap in the chain. Such pivotal connection of control arm to bellcrank also permits the control arm to be raised from a lowermost position to which it may have lowered to and above its aforesaid normal position.

At this point of the description, it is noted that the control arm 80 is biased in downward direction towards its aforesaid normal position, and towards its lowermost position as well when it is free to partake of lowering movement, by means of a compression spring 92 mounted on an upright headed pin 94 threaded into the transportroller backing plate 60 and which extends upwardly through said arm through an elongated aperture 96 therein, so as to be reactive between the head of the pin 94 and the upper side of said control arm. It is also explained that to prevent unlimited lowering movement of the control arm, it is provided on its under side with a depending foot 80b which, by its engagement with the upper side of the backing plate 60, limits the lowering movement of which the control arm is capable.

The ability of said control arm to translate bodily a limited distance toward and away from the cut-apart blade 30 stems from the fact of the connection of its outer end to the upper free end of the vertical arm 86a of the ballcrank 86, which arm swings throughout a horizontal arc struck from the axis of the pivot pin 88. As explained above, the bias imparted to the bellcrank by the tension means interposed in the connection of cable 90 with the clutch 18 normally maintains the bellcrank in its most clockwise position, and such results in the control arm being normally in a retracted position. However, when the gap-sensing finger 82 lowers into the gap of a fastener chain being positively propelled along the guideway by the action of the aforesaid powered chain feed or transport roller 68, the rearward edge of said finger is immediately engaged by the most forward of the interengaged fastener elements of the next following zipper-length group thereof. Consequent to this engagement, the control arm is bodily pulled forwardly in the direction of the cut-apart blade 34) and, in partaking of this motion, it rocks the bellcrank 86 in counterclockwise direction. Such in turn results in a positive pull being applied to the cable 90, which by design is sufficient first to overcome the bias of the aforesaid tension means and then a cause engagement of the clutch 18. Thereupon, drive is transmitted to the press drive shaft 16 which results in the press ram and cut-apart blade being actuated throughout their working and return strokes.

During the course of the working stroke of the ram, the following actions occur: First, the pressure pin 38 moves downwardly against a rearwardly projecting offset 72a (FIG. 2) provided on the aforesaid transport-roller carrying arm 72 and depresses said arm and correspondingly the feed or transport roller 68 carried thereby, thus to arrest feed of the slide fastener chain. Next the pressure pad 34, which slightly leads the cutting edge of the blade 30 in the latters downward motion moves against the gapped-length portion of the chain which has just previously been sensed by the sensing finger 82 and presses the same against the anvil plate 56 with appreciable pressure, thus to clamp said tape-length portion in fixed position at a point immediately adjacent the line of cut which said cutting edge will make. Thereupon the cutting edge of the cut-apart blade lowers against said gapped tapelength portion and cuts same apart on a transverse line of severance.

From the above, it will be seen that by imparting to the slide fastener chain moving through the guideway under the action of the feed or transport roller 68 a rate of feed which is such as to produce feed movement of the chain an amount substantially equal to half the length of the gaps between zipper-length groups of fastener elements thereof in the interval between the instant of lowering of the gap-sensing finger 82 into each chain gap as aforesaid and the instant that each gapped tape-length portion is engaged by the cut-apart blade, said blade will make its cut substantially along a transverse line which extends midway of the length of each said gapped tapelength portion.

When the gapsensing finger 82 lowers into a gap, it tends to maintain said position under the bias of the aforesaid spring 92 eflective on the control arm '80, with the result that the control arm does not of its own accord reset itself. However, the function of the aforesaid lift lever 40 carried by the tool holder 28 is to positively lift or raise the finger-carrying end of the control arm to a position as provides for re-setting of said control arm under the bias of the tension means in the clutch-actuating cable 90. More particularly, responsive to lowering movement of the ram 26 and thereby the tool holder, the lift lever 40 also lowers, with the result that its forwardly offset nose 40a, which in the raised position of the lift lever is accommodated in a downwardly-rearwardly inclined relieved side-edge portion 80x provided on the rear side face of the finger-carrying end of the control arm 80, is cammed rearwardly by said side-edge portion 80x but thereafter moves in under the downwardly-forwardly inclined under face portion 80y of said control arm, under the bias of the lift-lever biasing spring 46. Thus, when the ram and tool holder move on their up or return stroke, the lift lever is enabled to exert a lifting force on the finger-carrying end of the control arm of a magnitude sufficient to raise the gap-sensing finger 82 above the level of the upper surfaces of the interengaged fastener elements of the chain moving along the guideway. By design, when this level has been reached, and this is gen erally determined by the spring 92 being compressed beyond its yield point, the lift-lever biasing spring 46 yields under the camming action of the inclined control-arm surface or portion 80y on the nose end 4011 of the lift lever, as permits said nose end to in effect disengage from the control arm. When the control arm 80 has been raised clear of the interengaged fastener elements of the chain as aforesaid, it together with the bellcrank 86 will re-set themselves in their initial position in which the control arm is retracted and the bellcrank is in its right-most or clockwise position.

According to yet another feature of the invention, the press mounts an auxiliary fastener-chain feed means which functions, in addition to advancing each cut-apart zipper length to a discharge conveyor, to apply light tension to each gapped-length portion of the chain when it is being acted on by the cut-apart blade 30. More particularly, and as best seen in FIG. 6, there is provided a friction wheelslip clutch assembly F8 on a front-to-rear mounted shaft 98 which extends transversely of said body member on the discharge side of the ram and is driven off the press motor 20 through a belt-pulley take-off means designated 100 and a speed reducer 102.

Said assembly generally includes a driven friction wheel 104, so called because its periphery is surfaced or otherwise provided with a composition friction material 106 such as that sold under the trademark Tygon, which rotates in a plane disposed in longitudinal alignment with the aforesaid guideway 66a, 66b and at a level such that its said peripheral friction surface bears on the chain or portion thereof moving along the aforesaid pressure plate component 54a of the top plate 54 which supports the most advanced zipper-length portion of the chain prior to and after its severance from the main or following strip of fastener chain.

At this point of the description, it is explained that said pressure plate 54a is pivotally connected at its forward end to the side arms of the top-plate body member 54 by a hinge pin 54b extending between said side arms, and that its outer or discharge end is urged in upward direction by a spring carried by an upright stop pin 55a affixed to the bottom wall of the body member 50, all as generally shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 2 further shows that the upper surface of said pressure plate 54a is provided with a longitudinally extending groove 66c defining a guideway extension and is further provided with a concavity 66d disposed directly beneath the friction wheel 104, whose presence is designed to increase the effectiveness of said friction wheel in propelling the severed zipper lengths toward their discharge point.

The aforesaid friction wheel-slip clutch assembly FS further includes a slip clutch 108 whose setting is such that it normally operates to transmit drive from shaft 98 to the friction wheel 104 and thereby feed motion to the chain or portion thereof engaged by its peripheral surface 106, while at the same time it will slip when continued rotation of the friction wheel would impart tension in excess of that desired to the chain or tape portions thereof. In actual practice, the slip clutch is set to slip when, upon the pressure pad 34 having lowered into engagement with a gapped length portion of the fastener chain as aforesaid to hold same stationary during the cutting-apart operation, the friction wheel imposes a predetermined slight amount of tension to the so-held chain or portion thereof.

Such a clutch setting further insures that upon severance of the most advanced zipper length of chain having been effected followed by raising motion of the pressure pad 34 from the chain tapes which it had clamped during the cutting-apart operation, the slip clutch will again become operative to transmit drive to the friction wheel 104. Thereupon, said friction wheel functions to propel each cut-apart zipper length of chain to a powered, horizontally disposed discharge conveyor belt 110 extending in continuation of the body member 50 and which discharges said zipper length to a suitable bin or receptacle (not shown).

FIG. 6, in conjunction with FIGS. 2 and 3, illustrates a preferred means for driving both the transport roller 68 and the discharge conveyor belt 110 from the same shaft 98 which drives the friction wheel-slip clutch assembly PC. More particularly, said shaft 98 mounts fast thereon and disposed just to the rear of said assembly and also of said body member 50, a spur gear 114 which meshes with a spur gear 116 keyed or otherwise affixed to the aforesaid shaft 74 about whose axis the transport rollercarrying arm 72 pivots and which is disposed below said shaft 98. Affixed to said shaft 74 rearwardly of the body member 50 is a pair of stepped-diameter pulleys, the smaller pulley 118 receiving a driving belt 120 extending to a pulley 122 fast on the aforesaid stub shaft 70 to which the transport roller 68 is keyed, and the larger pulley 124 receiving a driving belt 126 to a pulley 128 which drives the driven roller 130 about which and a companion idler roller 132 the endless discharge conveyor belt 110 extends. It will be observed from FIG. 6 that all said spur gears, pulleys and driving belts are disposed to the rear of the body member 50 of the combined chain feed and press control unit FC and generally intermediate said body member and press side frames so as to be more or less guarded by said member and frames.

While it is believed that the operation of the above described cut-apart machine will be clear to those skilled in the subject art of slide fastener manufacture, such will be briefly summarized as follows: First, the main driving motor 20 is energized by closing a suitable control switch (not shown) in the supply circuit thereto, thus imparting drive to the transport roller 68, the friction wheel 104 and the discharge conveyor belt 110. Since the clutch 18 is normally disengaged, the ram 26 remains stationary although in position to partake of its operating cycle consisting of a working and a return stroke.

The starting end of a long strip of continuous gapped slide fastener chain (designated C in FIGS. 1 and 3) to be cut apart into individual zipper lengths is now threaded into the machine. This is simply achieved by first manually grasping the handle 64 and lifting the friction plate 58 and then threading said starting end into the guideway portion 66b between the transport-roller backing plate 60 and the top plate 52 and then permitting said friction plate to lower after insuring that the strip will extend through its guideway portion 66a. The strip of continuous chain is then pushed inwardly, i.e. towards the raised cutapart blade 30, until it is engaged by the transport roller 68 which proceeds to power-feed the entering end of the chain toward the ram 26, and such feed is permitted to continue until the entering end of the chain proceeds past the still-raised ram to a position beneath the rotating friction wheel 104. During this preliminary feeding-in operation, the control arm 80 is manually held in its fullraised position in which its sensing finger 82 is disposed slightly above the chain.

With the chain now being positively fed forward, the control arm 80 is left to lower to its normal operating position, i.e. its broken-line position, FIG. 3, in which the sensing finger 82 rides upon a group of the interengaged fastener elements of the chain then assumed to be disposed below same.

When the next following gapped length portion of the chain advances to a position beneath the finger, the latter lowers into the gap and, with slight further feed motion of the chain, the control arm is translated, i.e. pulled forwardly, to its full-line position (FIG. 3). This motion of the control arm rocks the bellcrank 86 in counterclockwise direction, resulting in a pull force being applied to the cable 90 which in turn effects engagement of the onerevolution clutch 18. Consequent to such engagement, the ram 26 is actuated throughout its working and a following return stroke. On its working stroke, the ram actuates the tool holder 28 towards the gapped length portion of the chain now disposed beneath same, whereupon, in the order stated, the pressure pin 38 first proceeds to depress the transport roller 68; then the pressure pad 34 lowers against the tapes of said chain portion and clamps said tapes against the anvil plate .56, whereupon the rotating friction wheel 104 proceeds to exert light tension on said tapes; and finally the cutting edge of the cut-apart blade lowers against said tapes and cuts through same along a line of cut extending transversely of and also substantially midway of the length of said gapped length portion. The cut-apart length of chain continues its motion under the action of the rotating friction wheel 104 and moves to the discharge conveyor 110 which effects its discharge from the machine and preferably drops same to a storage bin or receptacle.

On the return stroke of the ram and tool holder, first the cut-apart blade and then the pressure pad 34 disengage from the chain tapes. Next, the lift lever 40, whose nose end 40a had moved in under the finger-carrying end of the control arm 80 on the down or working stroke of the ram, and which has earlier lifted said end, and thereby the finger 82 from the gap into which it has lowered responsive to initial upward movement of the ram, disengages from said control arm. Finally, the pressure pin 38 by its motion away from the offset 72a on the transportroller mounting arm 72 permits resumption of chain feed by said transport roller 68.

When lifting of the control arm 80 has been effected as aforesaid, it, together with the bellcrank lever 86, will move to their initial positions shown in broken lines, FIG. 2, i.e. they will re-set themselves, under the bias of the tension spring in the cable connection to the clutch 18. Thereupon the cycle of operation as aforesaid is repeated so long as the supply of gapped chain is maintained. When such runs out, the motor 20 and parts powered thereby will continue to operate until the motor is deenergized, but the press will be deactivated inasmuch as the clutch 18 through which drive is supplied to its main drive shaft is normally disengaged.

Without further analysis, it will be seen that an automatic fastener chain cut-apart machine as described and illustrated achieves the objectives of the invention set forth herein in simple, practical and thoroughly dependable manner. However, various changes in construction are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim. For example, the discharge conveyor 110 may be eliminated entirely, and a mechanical device which pulls or pushes the cutapart zipper from the body member 50 may be substituted. It is also possible to pneumatically remove the cut-apart zippers by air jet means.

It is moreover possible to adapt, without substantial modification thereof, the herein cut-apart machine to the cutting apart of entire fly-closure units, i.e. zippers with fly strip attached thereto, from an indeterminate length of an assembly of continuous gapped zipper chain and continuous fly-strip tapes sewn thereto. Thus, when so adapted, the present cut-apart machine is capable of being used just as or in place of that disclosed and claimed in my aforesaid Patent No. 3,263,542.

Hence, as the above and other changes could be made in carrying out the above constructions without depart- .,10-- ing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. An automatic slide-fastener chain cut-apart machine comprising, in combination:

means defining a straightway extending guideway for a continuous slide-fastener chain consisting of a pair of elongate flexible tapes secured together along adjacent edges by a succession of spaced-apart groups of interengaged fastener elements and with theedges of the tape length-portions which extend between said groups defining gaps;

a cut-apart blade reciprocable in a 7 said guideway;

means for reciprocating said blade intermittently;

means driven by said last means for positively feeding said continuous slide-fastener chain along said guideway to the action of said blade;

and means for controlling actuation of said blade reciprocating means and said fastener-chain feed means whereby the blade is actuated throughout each of its working strokes only when the feed motion of the chain is arrested and the then most advanced gapped-length portion of the chain is disposed in said guideway in position as to be acted upon by said blade, said means including a gap-sensing finger disposed to the feed-inside of said blade and depending into the guideway and positioned therein so as normally to ride on the interengaged fastener elements of the successive groups thereof moving along said guideway;

means mounting said finger for relative raising and lowering movement and for bodily motion toward and away from said blade, whereby the finger is free to lower into the gaps in the gapped length portions between the successive groups of interengaged fastener elements when such move under the same and is translatable towards the blade when, following each such lowering movement, it is abutted by the forward-most interengaged fastener elements of the next oncoming group of said elements;

means responsive to such lowering and translating motion of said finger for effecting actuation of said blade reciprocating means and thereby motion of the blade throughout its working and return stroke;

and means for deactivating the chain feed means immediately prior to the blade, in partaking of its working stroke, moving into cutting engagement with each said gapped length-portion of the chain.

2. An automatic slide-fastener chain cut-apart machine according to claim 1, and further including guideway extension means in alignment with said guideway; and means also driven by said blade-reciprocating means and being disposed to the feed-out side of the cut-apart blade for feeding the individual cut-apart lengths of chain along the guideway extension means.

3. An automatic slide-fastener chain cut-apart machine according to claim 2, wherein said last means is effective to apply light tension to each gapped length portion of chain as it is being acted upon by said blade.

4. An automatic slide-fastener chain cut-apart machine according to claim 1, wherein the finger mounting means comprises a control arm disposed above and extending longitudinally along the chain on the feed-in side of the blade, said finger being afiixed to and depending from the relatively inner end of the control arm, the relatively outer end of said control arm being pivotally connected to one arm of a bellcrang mounted for rocking motion and whose other arm is connected in actuating relation to said means for reciprocating the blade, the construction and arrangement .being such that translating motion of said finger effects corresponding motion of the control arm, rocking motion of the bellcrank, and actuation of said means for reciprocating the blade.

path intersecting 5.. An automatic slide-fastener chain cut-apart machine according to claim 1, wherein said blade is carried by a reciprocating ram and said ram further mounts yieldable means closely adjacent the blade and leading same into engagement with the chain for applying a hold-down force on each said gapped length portion of the chain as it is being cut apart by said blade.

6. An automatic slide-fastener chain cut-apart machine according to claim 1, wherein said blade is carried by a reciprocating ram and said ram further mounts said means for deactivating the chain feeding means just prior to the blade moving into cutting engagement with each said gapped length portion of the chain.

7. An automatic slide-fastener chain cut-apart machine according to claim 1, wherein said blade is carried by a reciprocating ram and said ram further mounts means operative on its return stroke for positively lifting the gapsensing finger from a gap into which it has lowered following completion of each cutting-apart operation, thereby to reset the finger for lowering into a next following gap.

8. An automatic slide-fastener chain cut-apart machine according to claim 4, wherein the cut-apart blade is carried by a reciprocating ram and said ram pivotally mounts a lift lever having a free offset end which is spring-biased towards the finger-carrying end of said control arm, the construction and arrangement being such that responsive to the ram moving throughout its working stroke the offset end of said lift lever moves in under said fingercarrying end and that responsive to the ram movingon its return stroke said offset end effects lifting of said fingercarrying end and thereby the gap-sensing finger from any gap into which the finger had previously lowered.

9. An automatic slide-fastener chain cut-apart machine according to claim 1, including means for applying light tension to each said gapped length portion of the chain immediately prior to and as it is "being engaged by said blade.

10. An automatic slide-fastener chain cut-apart machine according to claim 9, wherein said means include a rotary friction wheel and a coacting spring-biased pressure plate disposed to the feed-out side of the blade and adapted to exert a slight pull on each forward-most length of chain then being severed.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,170,609 8/1939 Nedal 83-371 2,754,908 7/1956 Proud 83210'X 2,817,403 12/ 1957 Feitl 83-241 3,190,161 6/1965 Runnels et al 83-921 X 3,263,542 8/1966 Langwell 83241 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,129,432 5/ 1962 Germany.

WILLIAM S. LAWSON, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN AUTOMATIC SLIDE-FASTENER CHAIN CUT-APART MACHINE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: MEANS DEFINING A STRAIGHTWAY EXTENDING GUIDEWAY FOR A CONTINUOUS SLIDE-FASTENER CHAIN CONSISTING OF A PAIR OF ELONGATE FLEXIBLE TAPES SECURED TOGETHER ALONG ADJACENT EDGES BY A SUCCESSION OF SPACED-APART GROUPS OF INTERENGAGED FASTENER ELEMENTS AND WITH THE EDGES OF THE TAPE LENGTH-PORTIONS WHICH EXTEND BETWEEN SAID GROUPS DEFINING GAPS; A CUT-APART BLADE RECIPROCABLE IN A PATH INTERSECTING SAID GUIDEWAY; MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING SAID BLADE INTERMITTENTLY; MEANS DRIVEN BY SAID LAST MEANS FOR POSITIVELY FEEDING SAID CONTINUOUS SLIDE-FASTENER CHAIN ALONG SAID GUIDEWAY TO THE ACTION OF SAID BLADE; AND MEANS FOR CONTROLLING ACTUATION OF SAID BLADERECIPROCATING MEANS AND SAID FASTENER-CHAIN FEED MEANS WHEREBY THE BLADE IS ACTUATED THROUGHOUT EACH OF ITS WORKING STROKES ONLY WHEN THE FEED MOTION OF THE CHAIN IS ARRESTED AND THE THEN MOST ADVANCED GAPPED-LENGTH PORTION OF THE CHAIN IS DISPOSED IN SAID GUIDEWAY IN POSITION AS TO BE ACTED UPON BY SAID BLADE, SAID MEANS INCLUDING A GAP-SENSING FINGER DISPOSED TO THE FEED-IN SIDE OF SAID BLADE AND DEPENDING INTO THE GUIDEWAY AND POSITIONED THEREIN SO AS NORMALLY TO RIDE ON THE INTERENGAGED FASTENER ELEMENTS OF THE SUCCESSIVE GROUPS THEREOF MOVING ALONG SAID GUIDEWAY; 